Lewis Hamilton seriously impressed Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle at the 2024 Bahrain GP with the Mercedes star’s ‘tremendous’ entry speed into the corners.
The 39-year-old got his season off to a shaky start as mechanical gremlins held Hamilton to a P7 finish. An early battery issue hindered the seven-time Formula 1 champion’s progress. Mercedes teammate George Russell also came home in fifth after his own power unit issues.
Russell took the finish 46.788 seconds behind race-winner, Max Verstappen, as the Red Bull driver secured his fifth career grand slam. Hamilton crossed the line just 3.536 seconds from his compatriot. While fellow Briton, McLaren pilot Lando Norris, split the Mercedes for sixth.
Mercedes duo Hamilton and Russell hit engine issues at the Bahrain GP
Hamilton and Russell would manage their respective power unit problems but issues finding speed on the hard compound Pirelli tyres further thwarted the Mercedes drivers. Hamilton’s battery problem briefly denied the 39-year-old the 160bhp the MGU-K provides every driver.
While Mercedes urged Russell against using the overtake button, which allows the drivers to deploy a larger percentage of the power the MGU-K produces. The sudden charge generally lasts for up to 10-15 seconds, restricting how Russell could both defend and attack in Sakhir.
Altogether, losing the boost from the MGU-K cost Russell nearly four-tenths of a second per lap at the Bahrain GP. Mercedes put their power unit problems down to overheating but are confident it is not a major problem, instead just a case of using an aggressive engine cover.
Hamilton still impressed Brundle with his corner entry speed in Sakhir
But before Hamilton’s power unit problem developed, the Mercedes star impressed Brundle with his cornering speed at the Bahrain GP. He lauded the Stevenage-born racer for the way he attacked the bends whilst trying to improve on a P9 start after a disappointing qualifying.
“Hamilton’s got tremendous speed on the way into some corners,” Brundle declared on Sky Sports F1 (2/3, 15:09). “I’ve watched him a few times now, tucked up as he is behind [Oscar] Piastri, [Fernando] Alonso and Norris.”
Hamilton could only claim ninth in Q3 with a 1:29.710 lap, 0.225 seconds slower than what Mercedes teammate Russell set. Russell’s lap was good enough for third on the grid with a deficit of 0.306 seconds to Verstappen on pole. Norris qualified in P7 with his 1:29.614 lap.
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